2013-14 Bradley Basketball Game Notes
Game 15 | Drake (10-3, 1-0 MVC) at Bradley (5-9, 0-1 MVC)
Bradley will open its Missouri Valley Conference home schedule Saturday night by hosting Drake in a 7 o'clock tilt at Carver Arena. Saturday's game will pit Bradley's Valley leading 3-point field goal defense against one of the league's top 3-point shooting teams. Saturday's game also will serve as a homecoming for Peoria native and first-year Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti.
Tip-Off
• Bradley will try to halt a 7-game losing skid Saturday when the Braves play their first Missouri Valley Conference home game of the season against a Drake squad the comes to Peoria riding a 4-game winning streak.
• Saturday's game will serve as a homecoming for first-year Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti a Peoria native and graduate of East Peoria High School.
Saturday Promotions
• Free Bradley Basketball carabiner keychain for the first 1,000 fans.
• Halftime performance by Jesse White Tumbling Team.
• Little Braves Club Weekend - free admission for Little Braves Club members by claiming ticket by 4:30 p.m. Friday at Renaissance Coliseum Box Office.
• Bradley Student Bring-A-Friend: $1 each for Bradley students and a friend/family member.
Series History
• Saturday's game will be the 139th in the all-time series, which Bradley leads by an 80-58 margin.
• The 80 wins against Drake are the most by Bradley against any opponent.
• Despite Bradley's overall series advantage, Drake has won five of the last six meetings and 13 of the last 23 in the series since the start of the 2003-04 season.
• First-year Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti is 1-0 all-time against Bradley, earning a 62-56 win as Eastern Washington's coach Nov. 24, 2000 in the first round of Michigan State's Spartan Coca-Cola Classic.
Lineup Shuffle
• Bradley has used six different starting lineups through the season's first 14 games.
• The Braves have used a different starting five in each of the last four games.
• Of the six starting combinations to date, just one has produced a winning record: the combo of Auston Barnes (F), Tyshon Pickett (F), Jordan Prosser (C), Omari Grier (G) and Walt Lemon, Jr. (G) was 2-0 before Prosser missed the next four games due to suspension.
Simple Concept
• It is pretty easy to see the difference between Bradley's wins and losses through the non-conference season.
• When the Braves make shots, they win.
• In the five wins, Bradley has shot .516 from the field, .356 from 3-point territory and .729 from the free throw line.
• In the nine losses, Bradley has shot .376 from the field, .230 from 3-point range and .686 from the free throw line.
Newcomer Contributions
• Bradley's lineup includes seven eligible newcomers and all seven have played in at least 13 of Bradley's first 14 games.
• Collectively, the seven new players are averaging 29.5 ppg and 17.4 rpg.
• Sophomore guard Omari Grier, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, is Bradley's third-leading scorer at 12.1 ppg and junior forward Auston Barnes (Odessa College) adds 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Chart Climber
• Senior guard Walt Lemon, Jr. has climbed to 19th on Bradley's all-time scoring list with 1,359 career points, the most among The Valley's active players.
• Currently averaging 15.2 ppg, Lemon is on pace to climb to 10th on the school's all-time scoring list by season's end.
• Lemon also has cracked Bradley's top 10 with 170 career steals and he is second among The Valley's active players with 297 career assists.
Defenders Of The Arc
• Bradley boasts the top 3-point field goal defense in The Valley.
• The Braves lead the league in both 3-point field goal percentage defense (.293) and fewest 3-point field goals allowed (6.1 per game).
• Drake enters Saturday's game second in The Valley in 3-point field goal percentage (.402) and second in treys per game (7.8).
Window Cleaners
• Bradley enters the weekend boasting two of The Valley's top five rebounders.
• Senior forward Tyshon Pickett is second in The Valley by averaging 7.1 boards per game, while junior forward Auston Barnes is tied for fifth with 6.4 rebounds per game.
• Both players have been particularly effective on the offensive end: Pickett leads The Valley with 2.6 offensive rebounds per game, while Barnes is third with 2.5.
Grier Leads Long-Range Effort
• Sophomore guard Omari Grier ranks second in The Valley by averaging 2.1 3-point field goals per game.
• Grier has made half of Bradley's overall number of 3-pointers (29-of-90).
• If the season ended today, Grier would be the fifth player in program history to make at least half of Bradley's total 3-pointers for the season.
Top Four At The Stripe
• Bradley ranks eighth in The Valley by shooting .703 from the free throw line, but the low-ish percentage is not the fault of the team's primary scorers.
• Bradley's top four scorers have combined to shoot .808 (147-182) from the stripe: Walt Lemon Jr. (15.2 ppg, .725), Tyshon Pickett (12.8, .793), Omari Grier (12.1, .900) and Auston Barnes (9.0, .808).
• Grier leads The Valley and is tied for 26th nationally in free throw percentage.
• Aaron Zobrist set the single-season school record for free throw percentage in 1996-97, leading the nation at a .906 clip.
• The other 10 Braves have combined to shoot just .505 (49-97) from the line and only Ka'Darryl Bell (.615) is shooting at least 60 percent from the stripe.
Big Media Numbers
• Dave Snell has served as the radio Voice of the Braves the last 34 seasons and has worked on 1,065 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on 1470 WMBD since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season.
• Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 729 consecutive Bradley games since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.
• In his 38th season, public address announcer Paul Herzog has been at the mic for 549 Bradley Basketball home games.
Looking Ahead
• Bradley will continue its 2-game home stand Wednesday by hosting Missouri State in a 7 p.m. game at Carver Arena.
• Following Wednesday's game, the Braves will hit the road for back-to-back games against The Valley's top two preseason picks - Saturday at Indiana State and Jan. 14 at #7 Wichita State.
• Both road games will be televised in the Central Illinois market on WAOE (My59).
Early Signees
• Bradley signed two players during the November early-signing period:
Tramique Sutherland • G • 5-11 • 175 • Toronto, Ont. • Fr. Henry Carr Secondary • Hill College
• Has helped Hill College to a 14-3 record by averaging 19.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 7.9 apg and 2.6 spg.
• Shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from 3-point range and 83.6 percent at the free throw line.
• Boasts four double-doubles on the season, two with points and rebounds and two with points and assists.
• Has scored in double-figures in all 17 games to date, including two games with at least 30.
Donte Thomas • F • 6-6 • 205 • Calumet City, Ill. • Thornwood H.S.
• Averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds as a junior.
The Geno Ford Show
• The 2013-14 season of The Geno Ford Show debuted Dec. 28 and airs each Saturday morning throughout the remainder of the season at 10:30 on WAOE (My59).
• The half-hour show is hosted by Dave Snell and includes commentary with Coach Ford, highlights and a closer look at the Bradley roster.
